1. Field of the Invention
The technical field of this invention is modular type and reconfigurable episcopic sights used for observation and ensuring firing when it is associated with a weapon system with or without a fire control system.
In general, the observation function must allow:
detection by an episcope or a low magnitude sight,
recognition and identification,
night vision by the use of light intensifier tubes, thermal cameras,
and night lens rangefinding (battle tank or artillery observation vehicle).
Usually, a sight reticle is associated with laser emission and reception for day and night lens rangefinding.
In the same way, the firing function must ensure the generation of a day and night axis of sight, which is referenced to the axis of the gun or shooting axis therefore allowing firing corrections taking into account only the distance (engraved reticle with ballistic graticules and stadimetric scale, or engraved reticle with ballistic graticule and rangefinder), or firing corrections in elevation and azimuth integrating a greater number of parameters: distance, speed of the target, temperature, altitude, type of ammunition, wind, etc. These deviations are then quantified by a computer. The sighting offset can be carried out, either by the displacement of a deviative optical device, or by the displacement of a reticle (mechanical or electronically addressable movement).
It might be possible within the framework of the training of the users to define an instruction function, which involves the installation of a video camera connected to a controlling monitor picking up the image observed by the trainee. One must then be able to distinguish the superposition of the various sight reticles on the landscape (target).
The various traditional functions ensured by sights shows that differing means are needed due to:
the day/night use,
the required operational functions,
stand-by mode (observation), PA1 firing mode, PA1 instruction mode.
2. Description of Prior Art Devices
To answer this diversity, general-purpose systems which are very bulky, very complicated and thus very expensive, or small, more economic telescopes meeting only partially the needs of the user and which are not very evolutionary, or modular sights having several configurations have been proposed to meet the needs of the customer.
In this last case, either fixed configurations which are defined when purchasing, or configurations allowing the adaptation of new moduli according to needs, are known. The known modular sights generally do not always have great flexibility of use and have the following disadvantages:
slow assembly and disassembly of the moduli, sometimes requiring tools,
loss of harmonization between the sight axis and the weapon axis or between the sight axis and the laser emission/reception axes. This lack of fidelity leads to a procedure of harmonization with installation of a target board and muzzle boresight, which is completely unsuited for daily use such as, for example, the replacement of an episcopic channel with a light intensifier modulus.
The object of this invention is to propose a modular and reconfigurable episcopic sight ensuring accurate firing through two optical channels while keeping the same sight reference mark despite whatever moduli is used.